Artificial intelligence affects almost every aspect of digital marketing, including how we build websites.
Today, you can write complete website code with AI in one click. So, a pressing question arises: Is web development dying in the age of AI?
In other words, what are AI’s capabilities when it comes to creating, diagnosing, and editing a website?
Can this technology replace human web developers? Are jobs on the chopping-block next year?
What web development jobs can AI handle effectively?
Let’s find out.
Is Web Development Dying in the Age of AI? (Not So Much)
The short answer is that AI is tremendously powerful when it comes to coding web elements, identifying errors, and following instructions.
That’s amazing but it doesn’t mean web developers are becoming irrelevant.
In fact, AI’s a web developer’s best friend, helping them automate repetitive tasks and focus on more creative aspects of their projects.
AI tools like ChatGPT are here to improve efficiency. They’re in no way a replacement for human developers, just like our new writing tools haven’t replaced the need for an expert human editor.
It’s Simple: Building a website for humans will always require human input.
Even when you’re building a website for machines (Search engines), you need a human resource to make sure your content reads well, resonates, and most importantly, CONVERTS NEW BUSINESS.
AI will augment the work of smart developers who’ll keep learning to leverage these tools.
But, let’s face it, it will take over some jobs that don’t require human creativity.
Let’s dive into the details and understand the role of AI in web development.
What Can AI Do In Web Development?
A logical way to get the answer to the question “Is web development dying in the age of AI” is to understand the capabilities of AI in this field.
The more work AI can handle, the lower the human involvement gets and the more time your developers have to take off early for happy hour at the local bar 🍸
Maybe you should just appreciate the productivity boost and join them??? 🤷♂️🥂
Generally, AI can currently handle three web development tasks that used to take us hours effectively:
- Writing code
- Doing template-based tasks
- Testing a piece of code
Let’s start with the most important one.
Writing Code
The scariest part of AI in web development is that it can write complete snippets of code for your website… 😨
Here’s a demo:
As you can see, ChatGPT can generate a complete HTML web page for you in one click.
However, did you notice a short disclaimer at the end of the message?
It says “ChatGPT can make mistakes. Check important info”. This means you can’t take anything from ChatGPT and paste it as is without human verification or testing.
Also, the code it generates is a pretty basic one. Sure, you can create a basic HTML page with it. But, you’ll need a human developer to:
- Check this code for accuracy
- Verify responsiveness on multiple devices
- Add custom code to meet the needs of your website
Even if AI can write accurate code, it doesn’t mean it can replace human coders and a good set of eyes checking over everything.
There are many aspects of coding that require human creativity, problem-solving, and other soft and hard skills.
In addition, the technology is still far from addressing complex problems that even an average web developer faces on a normal workday.
Therefore, the question arises, can a business owner who doesn’t know how to code use ChatGPT or any code writer to create and manage their website? Highly unlikely.
The good thing is business owners and web developers can leverage AI to speed up their web development workflows using AI.
According to 30% of IT professionals, their colleagues are using AI to enhance workplace productivity.
Template-Based Tasks
In addition to writing code from scratch, AI is pretty good at template-based tasks.
A template is a pre-designed layout or structure for a website. It speeds up the web development process by eliminating the need to start the project from scratch.
Now, human jobs that involve taking a pre-build template and building a site from that may be at risk.
This is because when you provide an AI tool a template, and give it step-by-step instructions, more often than not, it’ll come up with exactly what you need.
You may have seen website builders like Elementor of DIVI incorporate AI, making website creation/designing easier.
Testing
Thankfully, testing is an aspect of web development where AI mostly assists developers.
For instance, a lot of time and energy goes into finding and fixing errors within a snippet of code.
Not anymore. You can just ask an AI tool like ChatGPT to find the mistake and suggest a quick fix.
Here’s an example:
As you can see, the AI tool pinpoints the error, suggests the edit, and provides an explanation.
Not only that, but developers can now use AI tools like Codiga to identify errors in their code as they write it.
This naturally reduces friction, saves time, and makes developers much more productive.
Related: Can Digital Marketing Be Replaced by AI?
The Future of Web Developers in the Age of AI
If you’re still wondering “Is Web Development Dying in the Age of AI?”, don’t.
The more pertinent question would be “What web development roles should you expect in the age of AI?”.
Below, we’re taking a broad look at the nature of roles web developers can expect in the near future.
Management or Supervision of Complex Projects
AI is able to write code snippets, create websites from templates, and fix errors. But, it’s in no way capable of managing complex projects without human supervision.
Therefore, we’ll probably see more and more project management roles pop up in the near future.
In addition to web development, management roles may also require other skills, including:
- Organization
- Leadership
- An understanding of project management methodologies
- Being cool with your team taking off at 4:30 to grab a beer 🍺
Integrating AI Into Web Development
Considering the complexities of integrating different AI tools into an existing project, companies may need to hire specialists.
These specialists will not only understand the technical aspects of web development. They’ll also be responsible for integrating AI into projects and streamlining workflows.
Importantly, the more AI gets advanced, the more in demand these professionals will get. It’s a perfect example of how AI will also create new jobs.
Beyond Websites: Additional Marketing Uses for AI
The use of AI in template-based tasks goes beyond just website building. It can also be applied to other areas such as document creation, graphic design, and even marketing materials.
For example, instead of spending hours creating a presentation from scratch, an AI tool can take a pre-made template and generate a professional-looking one within minutes. This not only saves time but also ensures consistency and quality across all presentations.
In the world of graphic design, AI tools are able to analyze your brand’s style and create designs that align with it. This makes it easier for businesses to maintain their branding while still having access to high-quality designs without hiring a professional designer.
Even for marketing materials such as social media posts or email campaigns, AI can assist in using data and analytics to create personalized and targeted content for specific audiences. This level of personalization can lead to higher engagement and conversions, ultimately saving businesses time and money on traditional marketing methods.
Additionally, AI tools can also help with document creation by automatically formatting and organizing information in a visually appealing way. This is especially useful for long documents or reports that require a lot of data and statistics.
Overall, the use of AI in content creation not only streamlines processes but also produces high-quality materials that align with a business’s brand and target audience. As technology continues to advance, we can expect even more innovative AI tools to assist in various aspects of content creation, making it easier for businesses to effectively communicate their message.
Is Web Development Dying in the Age of AI: Conclusion
Artificial intelligence is getting more advanced by the day, especially in industries like web development.
But, instead of fearing its capabilities, or worse, ignoring its existence, web developers should use it to get more productive.
According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, web development jobs are projected to grow 23% from 2021 to 2031.
Businesses will continue to need human developers to create, manage, fix, and optimize their websites.
Some aspects of web development, such as writing a code snippet from scratch, may be automated by AI.
But, this also means that web developers can achieve a lot more in less time.
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